


Need a Ride?

by saltyparabolasholtzmann



Category: Ghostbusters (2016)
Genre: Brief homophobia, F/F, Thanksgiving, but holtz is still the biggest dork, nothing from the movie has happened
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-24
Updated: 2016-11-24
Packaged: 2018-09-01 20:07:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,154
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8636437
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/saltyparabolasholtzmann/pseuds/saltyparabolasholtzmann
Summary: It's Thanksgiving. Erin is lost in New York, and it's pouring rain. Luckily, everyone's favorite engineer has a car.





	

**Author's Note:**

> warning: mild homophobia
> 
> just a one shot I started writing this week, hope you enjoy! :)

It was pouring down rain, and Erin Gilbert was standing under an awning in the middle of Manhattan.

And, to make matters worse, her phone was dead.

All she had wanted to do was go for a walk before getting in the car to visit her parents for yet another awful Thanksgiving. 

But instead she was here, absolutely soaked and exhausted. And it didn’t look like the rain was going to stop anytime soon.

At least I won’t have to go upstate, Erin thought. She was supposed to have left almost an hour ago, and her mom hated when she was late. 

Better never than late. She laughed dryly, watching the streets of New York City get dirtier, as her teeth began to chatter. 

Fortunately, a car pulled over, rolling the driver’s side window down.

“Need a ride?” A voice called, and Erin turned around, trying to figure out who the voice was talking to.

“You with the tiny bowtie and the painful looking shoes! Need a ride?” 

Oh...this woman was talking to her. Erin didn’t know what to say, didn’t this sort of thing always end up in a horror movie?

Suddenly, the door opened, and a woman stepped out, immediately drenched by the downpour. 

“Are you alright?”

It took a minute before Erin was able to say anything in response, and then she came to her senses, grabbing the woman’s arm and pulling her out of the rain.

“Holtzmann. Not a taxi service, unless I come across beautiful girls in need of one.”

“Um...Erin Gilbert.”

“Nice to meet you, Erin. So, I’ll ask again. Would you like a ride home?”

Erin smiled, and before her mind got the best of her, she answered.

“Absolutely.”

* * *

The ride was far better than she had expected. Holtzmann was into all sorts of music, was a fellow scientist (specializing in nuclear engineering), and had the best stories of anyone Erin had ever met. Not to mention the most spontaneous. Instead of taking Erin home immediately, she first drove the two of them to get lunch from the best sandwich place Erin had ever visited.

“Holtzmann?”

“Hmmm?” The blonde was happily munching away on a can of Pringles, steering somewhat haphazardly towards Erin’s apartment.

“You just...um...passed my stop.”

Holtzmann sat up, dusting chip crumbs off her shirt. “Oops. Not gonna lie, I was driving home.”

Erin blushed, though she wasn’t quite sure why. “With a random stranger in your passenger seat?”

“Why not?”

“I have to get home...to my parents, I mean. They live upstate.” Erin said, trying not to stutter.

And with that, Holtzmann turned the car around, quickly pulling up to the curb, as Erin got out to head inside and pack a suitcase for the worst road trip ever.

But Holtzmann was not going to miss an opportunity.

“Hold on. Upstate New York?”

“Um...yeah?”

And it was the blonde’s turn to blush, as she looked up into Erin’s confused face.

“Listen. I’ve never been out of New York City, so anything upstate happens to be a new spot for me.”

“Sorry...what are you saying exactly?” Erin was surprised, they’d barely been together for an hour, but she was sad to see the woman go.

“I’d need to get gas, but what would you say to a road trip?”

Erin considered it. And then she stopped. Driving, with a stranger, to visit her parents, on Thanksgiving…

Why the hell not?

“Um, yeah. Sure. Okay!”

Holtzmann got out of the car, laughing with disbelief. Today was better than expected, and Erin quickly pulled her inside to get ready for what was going to be the strangest day of their lives.

* * *

The first thing Holtzmann noticed stepping inside Erin’s apartment was the blank walls. And how clean it was. And it was so fitting, and made so much sense, that she felt the urge to make a mess, as if she wasn’t already out of place enough.

But neither of them minded, and so Holtzmann sat on the faux leather couch, spotting a book on the table. Ghosts From Our Past...the title sounded familiar, but she couldn’t quite place it, and shrugged, reclining back and shutting her eyes.

“Holtzmann? Ready to go?”

Holtzmann’s eyes fluttered open, and without thinking, she said,

“Call me Holtz.”

Erin was taken aback, she wasn’t quite sure but it sounded like Holtzmann’s (Holtz’s?) voice had dropped a whole octave, losing it’s comedic edge and sounding more like a growl. But, instead of addressing it, she grabbed Holtz’s arm yet again and dragged her out to the car. 

Was this really a good idea?

But it was too late to change her mind, the two of them speeding off towards Holtz’s place.

By the time they got to Holtz’s apartment, it was almost 3:00 in the afternoon, and Erin had no doubt her parents would be upset to hear that their daughter was going to be late, as usual.

But it was hard to care, or even think about it once she entered Holtz’s place. If anything was the exact opposite of Erin’s well structured life, this was it. Barely 5 minutes had passed and she had seen one fire, four chinchillas, and six cups of coffee. 

Not to mention what Holtz was doing, running everywhere as she shoved as many snacks into her bag as possible, and then they were on the road again.

The road going to Erin’s parents house. The drive wasn’t terribly long, but every minute seemed like eternity as Erin began to question the events that had lead up to this very moment. 

“Hey. You alright over there?” Holtz turned in her seat, anxious to make sure nothing was wrong. Erin was different, and the last thing she wanted to do was make the woman uncomfortable.

“Yeah...it’s just not my favorite place.”

“I can provide a distraction, if need be.” 

“Well, you’re driving so I don’t think that’s the best idea.”

Holtz smiled, and launched into a story about her time as a college student. Turns out she and Erin had studied a lot of similar things, and they were both excited at the prospect of someone finally intelligent enough to understand their life's work. 

It was nice, Erin reflected. Maybe they were total strangers, but everything came so naturally between them. 

* * *

After more than one wrong turn, the sun setting behind a mass of clouds, Holtz turned the car into Erin’s parents’ driveway. The porch lights were on, after Erin had called apologetically to let her mom know what had happened. 

Or at least a version of what had happened. She hadn’t mentioned the woman sitting next to her. 

Knock knock. Her knuckles were white as she knocked on the door, a light inside signaling that her parents were up.

Holtz was in the car, after Erin had explained the situation. The blonde had tried to convince Erin to let her handle it, but Erin knew otherwise. Nonetheless, she missed the woman’s presence, and felt her heart race as the door opened. 

“Erin! So nice of you to be almost four hours late!”

“Glad to see I’m welcome, mother.” Just as pleasant as I remembered, Erin thought, tempted to run back out to the car, to Holtz.

But the engineer had already come up to the house, clearing her throat, to the surprise of everyone.

“Erin? Who the hell is this?”

Before she could even begin to concoct a convincing lie, Holtz spoke.

“Jillian Holtzmann. Your daughter needed a ride, and I offered to give her one, being the kind hearted and respectful person I am.” She said the last bit with just a hint of sarcasm, but smiled sweetly, greatly confusing Erin’s parents.

“Needed a ride?”

“I um...had a flat tire about two miles back, and Jillian just happened to drive by and offer help, which was greatly appreciated.” So her first name was Jillian...add that to the list of things Erin knew about the engineer. But before she could explain to Holtz that she was fine, and that none of this was necessary, she found herself being led inside, to whatever Thanksgiving nightmare was coming.

* * *

After asking Holtzmann more questions, the answers to which Erin was more than happy to hear, she realized her parents were just as confused as she was.

And then her mom said something that made Erin flinch.

“So, Holtzmann. Are you seeing anyone?” And by anyone, it was clear that Erin’s mother wanted to know if it was a girl.

But Holtz, apparently used to such intrusive questions, answered smoothly. “Not currently, but my ex girlfriend might tell you different.”

It was so blunt that Erin instinctively reached out for Holtz’s hand, fully aware of what was coming next.

“And Erin? You’re not still single, are you?”

Shit. It was bad enough that her parents were embarrassing Jillian, but now her? 

“I am. And I’m actually perfectly happy that way, thank you very much.”

The rest of dinner was silent, except for the occasional clank of silverware against plates.

And all of a sudden, it was too much. 

Erin felt the heat rise from her toes through her body, and struggled to push out of her chair and leave for a moment.

Holtz noticed, and without missing a beat, picked Erin up and gracefully carried her out of the room. 

“Listen, I know it’s not my place to say, but I don’t think you should be here.”

Erin began to cry, relieved that someone finally recognized her pain. 

“It’s just...always been like this. They never believed me in anything, my social anxiety, my love life, my gho-” She paused, afraid of what Holtzmann would think. She kept having to remind herself that they were total strangers. It hadn’t even been a full day and here she was, sobbing into Holtz’s jacket.

And with those words, Holtz froze. “Your ghosts?”

Erin clamped her mouth shut, knowing full well what the response was going to be. 

But she was wrong, and it wasn’t a bad thing.

“You wrote Ghosts From Our Past, didn’t you?”

“Did you read it?”

“I did. It was amazing. But then I couldn’t ever contact the author, so I forgot about it.”

What a night this was shaping up to be.

Her breathing having returned to a normal pace, she untangled herself from Holtz’s embrace and stood up. 

“I’m ready to go back in there. Face my fears, you know?”

And Holtz knew. She knew how Erin felt, and wished they could just get away from the house. Go back to her apartment, order Italian food and maybe start a fire or two. But, reminding herself that she was still just a chauffeur, she followed Erin back into the dining room.

To Erin’s surprise, her parents were not alone in the room. Her grandparents had joined them, apparently having heard the commotion downstairs. 

And they weren’t happy about it.

Things were getting better by the second.

Erin didn’t have to say anything, but felt a reassuring hand in hers, gently squeezing as a reminder that neither of them were alone.

Again, no one said a word, and the group stared at one another, waiting for someone to break the silence.

And Holtz, it appeared, was making an attempt at conversation.

“So. Upstate New York is nice. I’ve never been up here.”

In response, Erin’s father coughed loudly. 

There really was no reason to be here.

“Mom, Dad. Jillian is going to drive me home.”

Attempting a show of decency, Erin’s mother stood and hugged her awkwardly, her father doing the same.

“Drive safe.”

Holtz replied without even glancing over her shoulder.

“That’s no fun.”

And Erin smiled and smiled. 

* * *

It was almost 10:00. Two more hours to be oh so thankful for her loving family, and them for her, and then it was back to pretending she didn’t exist until Christmas.

By the time they reached the outskirts of the city, Erin had fallen asleep twice, only waking up to hear Holtz singing softly to the radio.

It was one thing to have a stranger drive you to your parents’ house.

It was another thing to introduce them to your family and then cry on their shoulder.

And, for the second time that day, Holtz’s car lurched to a stop in front of Erin’s building. It looked sadder with all the lights off, but to Erin, it was more of a home than where they had been that night. 

Holtz noticed as Erin relaxed, grateful to be free of her family ties once more. 

But it seemed wrong to just let her go like that.

It was one thing to pick someone up off the street during a storm.

It was another thing to fall in love with them.

And it didn’t matter where they went next, because this relationship was just getting started.

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for reading!! :)  
> tumblr: katemcholtzmann (formerly not-quite-nuclear) message or send asks, I'm always up to talk about these nerds!  
> feel free to leave comments and/or kudos, it means the world to me!!


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